Measures of Success

Phase One - Pilot

Student measures: Execute a career and subject matter survey before the modules are applied.  The control group can be any of the 26 Middle schools that the annual Blinn Tech Prep 8th grade career fair touches.  During the project, additional surveys would be applied after each project module, and again at the end of the school year.  Success would be indicated by statistically significant changes in attitudes towards STEM curriculum and career choices.  Students would be given survey codes that allow the surveys data to be analyzed based on gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status.  The proposed Pre-Pilot focuses on 28 students with assessments conducted at the beginning and end of the five day activity.

School measures: Net reduction in energy usage, after adjusting for weather conditions and square footage.  The Energy Analysis provides a weather and usage corrected baseline as well as low cost actions for the school to take in order to improve energy efficiency. Participating in a LoanSTAR program would also be considered a measure of success.

Subjective project measures: A Web based survey for the students, parents and teachers to collect anecdotal data that will provide another dimension of feedback for Phase Two.

Phase Two - Expansion

The key metrics for the expansion of the program in Phase Two are:

  1. Increasing the number of students participating.
  2. Increase the awareness of STEM Careers, especially among lower socio-economic students and girls.
  3. Lower the cost per student (calculated per module) through web distribution and improved efficiency in delivering the onsite components of the program.
  4. Adding a deferred set of surveys for the students as they advance through the High School grades.

Phase Three - Virtualization

The measures of success are the same in Phase Three as they are in Phase Two, but the scope is potentially national.  Bottom line - making a measureable increase in the number of students successfully taking STEM courses in High School and ultimately increased enrollment in STEM curriculum in vocational or collegiate settings.